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Treatment of Radioactive Waste Streams at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant by Evaporation and Ion Exchange D. W. RHODES, Group Leader Waste Management, Chemistry G. E. LOHSE, Group Leader Waste Management, Engineering Idaho Nuclear Corporation Chemical Programs Division Idaho Falls, Idaho INTRODUCTION The Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) is an AEC-owned facility operated by Idaho Nuclear Corporation at the National Reactor Testing Station (NRTS) for the recovery of fissile materials, principally U-235. This facility is located about 50 miles west of Idaho Falls, Idaho. The irradiated fuels are prepared for solvent extraction of the uranium by several methods, including a) dissolution in mineral acids (nitric, sulfuric, and hydrofluoric); b) electrolytic dissolution in nitric acid; and c) in the near future, dissolution of ash (following burning of combustible fuel in a fluidized bed burner) with mineral acids. During the fuel reprocessing, high- and intermediate-level radioactive wastes containing greater than 99 percent of the fission products, and low-level wastes containing only a fraction of 1 percent of the fission products are generated. The high-level wastes are stored for an interim period in cooled 300,000 gallon stainless steel tanks (Type 316 ELC, 304L, and 348) contained within buried concrete vaults. Eventually, these wastes are converted to a granular solid by fluidized bed calcination, and stored in stainless steel bins which are also contained in buried concrete vaults (1). Using this technique, nearly all of the radionuclides eventually are stored as a part of the granular solids. The low-and intermediate-level wastes containing small quantities of radionuclides are processed to minimize the volume of waste that has to be stored, and also to reduce to the lowest practicable level, the amount of radionuclides released to the environment. The intent of this report is to describe the system and methods used for treating these low- and intermediate-level wastes at the ICPP. WASTE COLLECTION AND TREATMENT All of the potentially radioactive waste generated at the ICPP, except the high-level waste, is received in an evaporator waste collection tank. This amounts to about 1,200,000 gallons of liquid waste annually and includes waste from laboratory sinks and safety shower drains, cooling water from a uranium product denitrator, process sampler drains, cell floor drains, equipment decontamination, and some wastes from the test reactor areas at the NRTS. A simplified schematic diagram of the liquid waste collection system at the ICPP is shown in Figure 1. 676
Object Description
Purdue Identification Number | ETRIWC197161 |
Title | Treatment of radioactive waste streams at the Idaho chemical processing plant by evaporation and ion exchange |
Author |
Rhodes, D. W. Lohse, G. E. |
Date of Original | 1971 |
Conference Title | Proceedings of the 26th Industrial Waste Conference |
Conference Front Matter (copy and paste) | http://earchives.lib.purdue.edu/u?/engext,19214 |
Extent of Original | p. 676-683 |
Series | Engineering extension series no. 140 |
Collection Title | Engineering Technical Reports Collection, Purdue University |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries |
Rights Statement | Digital object copyright Purdue University. All rights reserved. |
Language | eng |
Type (DCMI) | text |
Format | JP2 |
Date Digitized | 2009-06-25 |
Capture Device | Fujitsu fi-5650C |
Capture Details | ScandAll 21 |
Resolution | 300 ppi |
Color Depth | 8 bit |
Description
Title | page 676 |
Collection Title | Engineering Technical Reports Collection, Purdue University |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries |
Rights Statement | Digital object copyright Purdue University. All rights reserved. |
Language | eng |
Type (DCMI) | text |
Format | JP2 |
Capture Device | Fujitsu fi-5650C |
Capture Details | ScandAll 21 |
Transcript | Treatment of Radioactive Waste Streams at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant by Evaporation and Ion Exchange D. W. RHODES, Group Leader Waste Management, Chemistry G. E. LOHSE, Group Leader Waste Management, Engineering Idaho Nuclear Corporation Chemical Programs Division Idaho Falls, Idaho INTRODUCTION The Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) is an AEC-owned facility operated by Idaho Nuclear Corporation at the National Reactor Testing Station (NRTS) for the recovery of fissile materials, principally U-235. This facility is located about 50 miles west of Idaho Falls, Idaho. The irradiated fuels are prepared for solvent extraction of the uranium by several methods, including a) dissolution in mineral acids (nitric, sulfuric, and hydrofluoric); b) electrolytic dissolution in nitric acid; and c) in the near future, dissolution of ash (following burning of combustible fuel in a fluidized bed burner) with mineral acids. During the fuel reprocessing, high- and intermediate-level radioactive wastes containing greater than 99 percent of the fission products, and low-level wastes containing only a fraction of 1 percent of the fission products are generated. The high-level wastes are stored for an interim period in cooled 300,000 gallon stainless steel tanks (Type 316 ELC, 304L, and 348) contained within buried concrete vaults. Eventually, these wastes are converted to a granular solid by fluidized bed calcination, and stored in stainless steel bins which are also contained in buried concrete vaults (1). Using this technique, nearly all of the radionuclides eventually are stored as a part of the granular solids. The low-and intermediate-level wastes containing small quantities of radionuclides are processed to minimize the volume of waste that has to be stored, and also to reduce to the lowest practicable level, the amount of radionuclides released to the environment. The intent of this report is to describe the system and methods used for treating these low- and intermediate-level wastes at the ICPP. WASTE COLLECTION AND TREATMENT All of the potentially radioactive waste generated at the ICPP, except the high-level waste, is received in an evaporator waste collection tank. This amounts to about 1,200,000 gallons of liquid waste annually and includes waste from laboratory sinks and safety shower drains, cooling water from a uranium product denitrator, process sampler drains, cell floor drains, equipment decontamination, and some wastes from the test reactor areas at the NRTS. A simplified schematic diagram of the liquid waste collection system at the ICPP is shown in Figure 1. 676 |
Resolution | 300 ppi |
Color Depth | 8 bit |
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